ABOUT FLC

The Filmmakers Legal Clinic (FLC) is housed at Cardozo Law School's Center for Visual Advocacy (CVA) and sits at the intersection of film, law, and social justice. It was created in 2011 and initially called the Indie Film Clinic.

ABOUT CARDOZO

Located in the heart of New York City, Cardozo Law was founded in 1976 and named for celebrated Supreme Court Justice Benjamin N. Cardozo. Over the past forty plus years, it has developed a reputation for pioneering social justice legal publications and fostering an inclusive environment for students from all identities, faiths, and cultural backgrounds. In addition to being a leader in intellectual property law--it is ranked #13 by U.S. News and World Report--Cardozo is also the only East Coast law school with a legal clinic for aspiring filmmakers.

Our Work

ADVOCACY INITIATIVES

  • Client Representation

    FLC provides tailored, pro bono, individual representation to independent filmmakers.

  • Legal Trainings

    FLC trains filmmakers, providing both broad legal overviews as well as in-depth education.

  • Pop Up Clinics

    FLC sets up short-term shop with our partners, where student legal interns meet with filmmakers and discuss their immediate legal needs.

  • FLC Film Series

    FLC shows client films, hosts panel discussions, offers interactive events, and leads post-screening Q&As.

COMMUNITY

OUR TEAM

Director

Michelle Greenberg-Kobrin is an Associate Clinical Professor of Law at Cardozo Law School, where she teaches and directs the Filmmakers Film Clinic, which provides pro bono legal services to filmmakers and video journalists as well as training on legal issues to filmmakers in the United States and around the world. She is also the director of the Center for Visual Advocacy and the Founding Director of the Program on Leadership at the Heyman Center for Corporate Governance. Previously, Professor Greenberg-Kobrin served as Dean of Students and Lecturer-in-Law at Columbia Law School. Michelle teaches in the areas of intellectual property, transactional law, corporations, negotiation, and leadership. Prior to her appointment at Columbia Law School, Professor Greenberg-Kobrin was a corporate and securities lawyer at Arnold & Porter, LLP. As a leading film lawyer, Professor Greenberg-Kobrin has lectured at film festivals around the world on issues related to copyright, production, distribution and licensing. She received both her BA and JD from Columbia University.

Clinical Fellow

Haley Sylvester is the Clinical Fellow at the Filmmakers Legal Clinic. Previously, she served as counsel to Commissioner Robert J. Jackson, Jr. at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, a position she parlayed into a role as a Research Fellow at the NYU School of Law’s Institute for Corporate Governance & Finance. Before joining the SEC, she served as law clerk to the Honorable Pierre N. Leval on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. Earlier in her career, she was an associate at  Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz. Haley is a graduate of Vanderbilt University (B.A.), Columbia Law School (J.D.), and the London School of Economics (LL.M.). She has also taken courses on art law and art business at Sotheby’s Institute of Art.

OUR PARTNERS